“We go to the hilltop. And when we finish the ceremony there, that’s when we divide the plantains… we leave a piece there, for the hill, and we divide the rest up between those who’ve accompanied me and those who are making lunch in the house.” –A Mayan priestess speaking of her initiation ceremony.
I love this wise fruit. Named Musa Paradisiaca, for “paradise,” because the plantain is said to be the first inhabitant of heaven. It is a grand bow, the golden king of fruits.
I grew up on this luscious mouth-feast. My parents and I would often have it for dinner (the justification being that it’s actually pretty healthy), and we spent years tweaking, arguing over, and perfecting the recipe. It’s still evolving. However, the basics stay the same–and its current iteration is profoundly delicious. Continue reading
Varanasi, India. On the cement floor of a crumbling apartment, I sit before an ancient gas burner, wondering if I should add more turmeric. I decide I should, and pour in a little too much. As I stir it in, I listen to the voices of my companions, sitting in a circle around me.
One of my guilty pleasures on the internet is looking at a particular type of ad.
They’re usually found below news or special-interest articles, and they’re designed to be sensational. I’m sure there’s a guy somewhere whose boss told him, “Say anything you want, just get them to click.”
The plants on this list changed the way I see autumn. Before, I thought everything was just dying. I now know how much energy is being stored in roots, preserved in seeds, and housed in nuts. Fall is a brilliant time to search for wild edibles for just that reason—there are lots of nutrient-dense foods available. We just have to know how to look for them.
We cut through the grass with our bodies, merging with the field. The calls of birds alert the other creatures to our presence as we swish and crackle our way through grass that’s taller than we are. At last, we come upon a clearing.
On my path through the internet today, I stumbled upon Sam Thayer, the midwest’s wild food guru. He’s written two guides that I often see on people’s shelves, all at varying degrees of wear. Some are practically falling apart from use.
In the interview, Sam brings up an important point: you don’t have to live on a farm or next to a national park to harvest wild food. City-dwellers have an abundance of wild foods right out their front door. Like anywhere else, you just have to know what to look for.
By Nicholas Tippins
Wild edible plants are healthy, fun, and free. If you live in an area where plants are not treated with chemicals, there’s no reason not to get started today.
Don’t I need to be an expert at plant identification before I can forage and eat wild foods?
The short answer: no. Chances are you already know and can identify wild edible plants. Can you recognize a dandelion? If so, you’re already on your way to becoming an expert forager.
It may occur to you that the soulful experience I had with the apples was less than practical. It occurred to me when I brought them back to my kitchen, and they tasted sour next to all of the cultivated, sweeter varieties of food. They were certainly not dessert, nor were they savory enough to put into our dinner (though I might have tried if I had been cooking alone). The question seeks to be answered, what to do with sour apples?
